ow to Make Your Dog Smarter
Is it natural for dogs to learn new words and odd behaviors? It might not be easy, but it can definitely be done. All dogs have a basic level of intelligence based on their nature:
- They are easy to house train because it is natural not to mess up their home.
- They are easy to train for bite inhibition because it is natural to respect the leader.
- They are easy to obedience-train when we ask them to perform natural movements like “sit” and “lie down.”
A dog is more attuned to his owner and easier to train when he is socialized. The more you talk or give hand signals to your dog and work on giving commands, the more likely your dog will learn new commands. A lot of people consider assistance dogs intelligent, but anyone who prepares them knows they have to be very well-socialized. If not, they are never going to be selected as assistance dogs.
6 Tips for Raising an Intelligent Dog
- Practice physical manipulation every day. This is most important when your puppy is very young, but daily handling will make your dog more willing to accept changes and willing to learn new commands
- Socialize your dog. This is especially important during the sensitive period before 16 weeks. It will help your dog if you take him out more often and expose him to new situations. A young puppy learns quickly, but even older dogs need to be socialized.
- Start training your dog as early as possible. Start as soon as you bring your puppy home. Early training will make your dog more trainable later and increase this type of intelligence.
- Provide continued exposure to tests and problems. Buy food bowls that make him use his intelligence to eat, and continually test his intelligence.
- Introduce new tricks and other commands during training. All dogs can learn new tricks, so keep looking for new things to teach him as he gets older.
- Give your dog lots of praise. Giving your dog positive reinforcement when he displays intelligent behavior will help perpetuate that behavior.